Nitecore Tube 8 years later has 2 changes - still weird - still the best

It's eight years since I first made a video about the Nitecore Tube keyring light. In the original video I explored the circuitry, but didn't fully reverse engineer it. I did this time, and it's a bit weird - I get the feeling that it's so successful as it is that they don't want to change anything. While there are lots of other rechargeable keychain lights available, this one scores highly for its size ruggedness and functionality. This is a very versatile rechargeable keychain light. It has the following modes:- 1 click - low intensity with very long run-time (days). 2 clicks - high intensity with shortest run time of about an hour. 2 clicks, holding on the second - ramping intensity that locks when you release the button. (good for a brightness and run-time compromise) Flashlight mode is when you hold the button in and it lights at full intensity until released. Lock mode - turn the light on and then hold the button for about 4 seconds to lock the light off. To unlock - hold the button for about 5 seconds until the LED lights. In the previous versions there was an emergency mode where you could turn the light on at a chosen intensity and then plug it in to charge. When the power fails the light comes on at that intensity. But that mode has been removed from the current versions and plugging it in now just charges and unlocks the light. You can now use the light while it's charging though. One of the reasons for the software change may be that people were accidentally locking the light in their pocket, and not knowing how to unlock it and thinking it was faulty. The only other significant change is to the circuitry - which has changed the value of the LEDs current limiting resistor. It has been increased in value, and that is either to give a longer run time with a more modern higher efficiency LED, or to avoid the risk of warranty claims due to early LED failure when people leave the light on at full intensity for long periods of time. Particularly now that they can leave the light on at full output continuously while it's charging. The lithium cell still has built in protection to avoid over-discharging, and they have jammed as big a cell as possible into the space. Its dimensions are 25mm by 16.5mm by 4mm. Not sure what the capacity is, but I'd guess around 100mAh. This style of light is still my daily carry 8 years later. It has a good blend of functionality and size. If you enjoy my videos, you can help support the channel with a dollar or two for coffee, cookies and gadgets, and keep it independent from the quirks of the YouTube algorithm by supporting me on Patreon. This also lets me link to my content on other platforms if YouTube uses the ban-hammer (again!) I release content for critique and feedback on Patreon as soon as it has been made.   / bigclive   Alternatively, for a single contribution you can use PayPal:- https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/bigclive #ElectronicsCreators